Super Tunnel Marathon

Wow!

I have heard that the Super Tunnel Marathon course is worth about 10+ minutes and now I believe it.
This course has a net elevation loss of 2,000' but it's rarely enough that you feel like you are actually running downhill, it just feels like you are having a good day. Which is exactly what I had today.

I rarely run road marathons with the intention of posting a fast time for myself. First of all I mostly spend my time on trails and when I do enter an official road marathon more often than not it's to run with my sister or a friend. About two weeks ago, on a whim in other words, I figured why not give running a marathon for myself a go. And since this event was two weeks prior to the next big race on my calendar it seemed like a perfect last hard workout before my taper.

With no speed or event-specific training I blew away my best case expectations. I am finally starting to feel like I'm back after all my injuries and surgeries. And believe you me, it feels good.



Technically this is not a "road" marathon as the entire course is on dirt and gravel. But it's as fast as a road course. Faster than most.

The start of this race is at the Iron Horse State Park Hyak Trailhead. You run a quick out-and-back (presumably to make this course length official as it is a USATF sanctioned race and a Boston Qualifier) and then you head into the old train tunnel.

For a visitor or someone that has never been in the tunnel this is pretty cool! But just figuratively, the temperature in the tunnel is actually pretty modorate and stays surprisingly constant (in the low 50s) all year round. The race organizers recommend that you bring a light since the tunnel is about 1.75 miles long but I was running in a small pack and would not have needed mine at all. As you exit the tunnel you can put your light in a small drop bag and hand it off to a volunteer who will return it to you at the finish line. I opted for a small handheld light and just stuffed it in the elastic pocket of my running vest so didn't even need to slow down.

There are aid stations every 2.5-3 miles along the course so you are very well taken care of. They all had a sports drink and water and might have had something else too but I'm not sure as I was never looking for solid food.

Just like I have started doing lately for ultras, I carried all my nutrition for this race in my vest. And once again this strategy paid off big time. Not only was my pacing right on but so was my nutrition. Funny how it took running to really teach me how to eat and drink while exerting myself whereas while I was racing bicycles I felt I had more wiggle room and did not have to be so strict. But that might also have to do with my age (I'm older now) and the fact that your guts are getting bounced around more when you run.

At the start I was hoping to run sub 3:30. That just happens to be the Boston Marathon qualifying time for my age bracket.

ASIDE - I find it funny that signing up for an ultra doesn't bother me at all but as soon as I signed up for this marathon I got nervous.

Going through the tunnel was all about perceived effort as your GPS watch is pretty useless underground. Once I exited the tunnel I could tell I was just slightly ahead of my scheduled pace but not so much that I was worried about slowing down. At the time it felt pretty relaxed.



In the past I have been just as guilty as most everyone else of starting too fast but over the years I have gotten better and better about sticking to the plan. So much so that I let some people run away from me today.

At the halfway point I had drained my bottle so needed to fill it back up. This was the only time that I stopped running. But it wasn't long. As I approached the aid station I ripped open my single serving envelope of HEED and by the time I got to the water cooler my bottle was unscrewed as well so all I had to do was dump in the powder, fill it up and screw the cap back on. Go!

One of the people I had resolved not to run down was not maintaining a very steady pace and so we would get closer together at times and then at other times they would move ahead. As I approached the halfway aid station this person didn't stop but they got there just ahead of me so when I departed they were not very far up the road and this time, having felt super comfy at my previous pace, I accelerated. Just a touch.

I think it took me about one mile to catch them but I was feeling really good and when I did I tried to dial up the pace just a fraction more.

As a runner my sense of pace is still not very acute. I have to look at my watch pretty frequently to be sure I am on track and even then, with GPS watches only being so accurate, my pace is not an exact science out on the trail or road. That said, I was pretty confident that over the second half of the course I kept slowly speeding up. Around mile 15 I still felt pretty good. At mile 18 I felt okay. At mile 21 - where the course exits the John Wayne trail and enters the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, I was not feeling quite so spry anymore.

But I was still trying to accelerate.

At around mile 13 some volunteer was shouting out your pace as you ran by and when I passed he told me I was on track to run 3:17! Not sure how accurate this was at the time but I was resolved to at least not slow down and hopefully even speed up just a tad. I have always wanted to run a 3:15 and today just might turn out to be that day.

ANOTHER ASIDE - the last time I tried to run a 3:15 marathon I blew around mile 21 and ended up finishing in 3:24. Ever since then (four years ago) 3:15 has been my goal.

Those last five miles of the course were not as downhill as I remembered them. I have ridden this section numerous times and run it once. On a bike it was a breeze each time and when I ran it this was a huge chore. Today was also a pretty big chore as all the sections of descent are broken up by bits of flat and having to push while on the flats was killing me by now. A real conscious effort.

One thing that helps me push are carrots. Seeing people up the road and slowly reeling them in is a huge confidence boost and luckily there was no shortage of carrots here. I passed more than one person who I thought, after seeing them at the start, were likely candidates for the overall win. And here they were walking! With about three miles to go I saw a big group or runners and with two to go I could tell one of them was the 3:15 pacer. Must. Go. Faster!

At mile 25 I caught the 3:15 pacer and in just that time his group had evaporated. Two people had run up the road and the rest had dropped back and were now behind me.

At this point I was not sure if I could catch anyone else as I felt like I was on the edge but so far I had not slowed down so I tried to at least maintain my effort.

With perhaps .2 miles to go (I never saw a 26 mile sign) those two people were still in front of me and the finish line was in sight. As much as I'd like to think I "sprinted" to the line I'm sure it looked like nothing much happened. But I sure felt like I gave it that last, all-in effort and I managed to overhaul one more person mere yards from the finish (I finished four seconds in front of them) but could not pass the other person (who finished five seconds in front of me). Turns out this other guy won my age group! :)



I crossed the line and as this little kid hung my finisher medal around my neck I could feel my legs start to lock up... I hobbled over to the area where our drop bags were to retrieve mine and my recovery drink all the time marveling at how sore running this distance makes me.

As I sipped my recovery drink I found a friend that had run as well. Nice! And another who had paced him. Very cool.

The bus shuttle back to the parking lot where we had left our cars was wasn't super comfy. My quads were not only sore but they were also twitching. A very strange feeling.

Unfortunately I have no pictures! :( That is one bummer about trying to run for time.

Everything about this race went well.
- The weather was perfect. mid 50s at the start, mid 70s at the finish with just a slight headwind during the second half.
- My gear all worked well, I'm glad I chose trail shoes for the protection from all the rocks on the road.
- My nutrition was dialed in! Could not have been better.
- I lucked out with my pacing, I started just a tad faster then planned AND managed to speed up. Pretty much every mile was just slightly faster than the previous one and I finished going as fast as I could.

Results
2nd - Men 50-59
16th - Overall

Gear
- Brooks Cascadia 11 shoes
- Injinji toe socks
- Brooks shorts and singlet
- Ultimate Direction Marathon Vest

Nutrition
- No breakfast
- On the drive to the parking lot I sipped on a large bottle with 2 scoops HEED
- One Hammer Gel 15 minutes before the start
- I carried one Bottle with 1.5 scoops HEED and 2 Endurolytes
- During the race I consumed four Hammer Gels and one more bottle with a single serving envelope of HEED
- My recovery bottle included 3 scoops of Recoverite and 1 scoop Whey Protein

Eiger Ultra Trail 101k

I ran out of superlatives LONG ago trying to describe the Eiger Ultra Trail 101k... it's one of those places and courses where you can legitimately say, "You need to experience it to understand/comprehend it."

First of all you are in Grindelwald, Switzerland and when the weather is nice the views are OFF THE CHARTS. Secondly there is the course. I think with the exception of about 300m of flat pavement which connected the first loop to the second loop across the bottom of the valley and 2k of flat pavement in between the bottom of the last descent and the climb to the finish it was literally all either up or down. Frequently at grades of 20+%. For realz.

I'm struggling to come up with prose that will do this justice so instead I'll tell a few stories that make up the bigger picture.



Story #1
I ran the frigging race!

Those that follow me know I have had some issues lately that prevented me from running like I wanted and at times from running at all, to the tune of four surgeries in the last 14 months and a persistent hip injury that lasted even longer. Long story short, I finally took a real break (usually I fake it - I know...) and then after my last surgery I came back very, very s l o w l y.

And so far it's working! After running the trails for the first time on 30 May I started to log progressively longer and longer runs every weekend which culminated in a tough 26 mile route on 24 June and then running the Needles 50k course on 2 July. Up until this time I had fully resigned myself to not racing. Now, with two weeks to go (perfect taper anyone?) my mind started working overtime and it seemed like the only decision I had to make was whether to run the 51k or the 101k.

One week later I decided to go all in. When was I coming back to Switzerland after all? And this event sells out in a hurry, who knows if I would get in next time. Green light baby.



Story #2
Good friends are good to have

I ended up running the entire course with my friend Martin de Vrieze. A couple of days before the start I tentatively asked him if he would be up for this knowing full well that running with someone can often include loads of baggage, especially if your paces are not the same that day. To his credit he said we should give it a go.

Martin is fitter than I am. He's been running regularly and I have not. But for some reason during the first half of the course I was feeling super and had to wait for him a couple of times. Turns out this was "money in the bank" so to speak because during the second half I came this close to quitting and it was Martin that waited for me and encouraged me to keep going.

And in the end I rallied and we finished really strong actually racing the last 6k! Thank you very much Martin.



Story #3
Weather

Some times the weather cooperates and sometimes it doesn't. The weather for this race was (in my humble opinion) the best it could have possibly been.

When we showed up in Grindelwald it was rainy, foggy, and I'd be lying if I said I was not a little scared watching fresh snow accumulate in the mountains. The circulation in my hands is not what it used to be and when my fine motor skills go out the window, it's that much harder for me to stay on top of nutrition, etc. At the pre-race meeting they recommended putting spare shoes and socks in your drop bag because, "you WILL be running through snow for 2-3 hours..."

Then came Friday night, and it dried up, and the stars came out. Hallelujah.

We walked to the start with jackets but before the gun went off I was down to a short sleeve shirt. It was NOT cold. And the snow? OMG was it fun. Certainly some people did not share my enthusiasm but for me it was a blast. There was about 2' of fresh, pristine white snow on the ground at the highest point of the race but it was not hard to climb through. Especially since the leaders had done all the plunge stepping for me. :) And descending in the snow was a kick in the pants! You could not help but slide around so embracing this and running/skiing down the trail was the way to go. Some people were terrified of slipping or falling (there were sections with exposure) but confidence sometimes breeds success and I had the biggest smile on my face the entire time.



To top it off, my shoes hardly even got wet so I never changed them.

And lastly, in spite of some heat, it never got up to the boiling point. It was just great throughout. So much so that at the midpoint I "cheated" and ditched my leg warmers, waterproof overmits, hat, spare headlamp and thermal top. I did keep my buff, gloves, rain jacket and long sleeve shirt.

ASIDE - I put "cheated" in quotes because some of the elites started with teeny, tiny packs that never could have held all the required gear. Whatever.

Story #4
Low points and high points

About 78 km in Martin and I were at an aid station sitting on a bench. My guts had gone sideways about 15 km ago and although I didn't get sick, I was having real trouble consuming anything and was running on empty. There was a train station RIGHT THERE and it would have taken me all the way back to within four blocks of our apartment. At one point I actually told Martin I was going to quit. To his credit he did not reply right away. When he did it was to urge me to just make it to the next aid station. I don't even know if I consciously changed my mind but suddenly we were walking and then we were jogging and then it was too late to turn back.

Through the next aid station I still could not eat anything of substance but what saved me was the Eiger Glacier. It was right above the trail as we traversed the mountain and every time we crossed some run off I stopped and drank. Deeply. No calories but I re-hydrated myself in short order and the water was delicious! It slowly helped my stomach settle and about 10 km from the finish I was able to start sipping my Perpetuem again.



By the time we got to the last aid station I was right as rain and we absolutely ripped the final descent and the flats to the finish passing and dropping more than a few runners.

What happened? I think my effort level exceeded my fitness on this day. There have been a couple of other times when food was not appealing to me but this was the worst. So glad I was able to turn it around.

Aside from foods, my previous formula for a successful ultra has been to carry a camera. Knowing I will stop to take pictures really lowers my expectations and if there is one secret to success for fragile athletes it's to set the bar super low so you can stumble over it in the dark. I carried one on this day but in spite of not having any mental baggage it was not enough. At about 60 km there was an aid station which offered free massage. I went for it. Not only did they massage my legs, they cleaned them up first! I finished this race looking like I had maybe run through a dry, dirt parking lot whereas others looked pretty grim.

Sometimes you need to do whatever it takes. As a bonus, I got to practice my French because the two massage therapists were from the French speaking part of Switzerland. :) Thank you race volunteers! And thank you again Martin for waiting.



Story #5
Support

In my opinion one of the biggest liabilities you can have when running an ultra is mental baggage. If your relationship is in turmoil or you are up against a deadline at work you will not be able to get the most out of yourself. Mental strength is key because there will usually be physical highs and lows or other adversity you need to overcome (weather, equipment failure, getting lost, you name it) and being able to do so rationally and with a positive attitude will help and perhaps even save your life.

Going in I knew that Shelley thought I was on a pretty accelerated training plan and perhaps not quite ready for the full meal deal. Who am I kidding, she thought I was being stupid. And she was right. But I do like a challenge and in the end she supported my decision to enter the 101k. That made all the difference. And I got lucky.

And the fact that Lucca was running this race as well? And that her husband Bil (with one "L") and Shelley met me on the course? And that Martin and I stuck together? So awesome. So empowering!



Story #6
Equipment

Pretty much every run I go on I entertain at least a small internal debate about what to wear. The longer the run or the more important the event the more significant the outcome of this debate appears to me. Throwing in a required equipment list just ups that anti.

All my equipment performed flawlessly.

• Brooks Cascadia 11 Shoes - I almost went for something a little lighter and I'm so glad I didn't. These really protect my feet from sharp stones, they have good traction, they drain very well and with the sewn in tongue and lacing them all the way up my feet didn't slide forward and thus my toenails are still beautiful.
• Injinji Socks - No blisters. 'Nuff said.
• Ultimate Direction PB Adventure Vest 3.0 - Light, loads of room, you can carry two bottles up front (my preference) and you can stow/remove your poles while moving. Everything has its own pocket.
• Hammer Nutrition Short Sleeve Running Shirt - No matter how hot it got this was comfy. So much so that I never really thought about it/noticed it and isn't that the goal? It also holds less water than any other shirt I own. Did I mention it's super light? Layered with my Hammer sleeveless shirt of my Hammer long sleeve shirt or alone this was all I ever needed.
• Hammer Perpetuem, Hammer Bars, Hammer Gel, Hammer Endurolytes - I opoted to carry pretty much all of mynutrition. I started with two full bottles and carried four more packets of Perpetuem, four bars and about 10 gels. From the aid stations I took fruit (oranges, bananas, water mellon), some smoked meat and cheese (yum!) and loads of water.
• Black Diamond Carbon Z Trekking Poles - These are the gold standard. This is my third run with them and it just took me two runs to be convinced they are the bomb. I have a herniated disk in my back and when my core fatigues and can't support my vertebrae it hurts. Using poles my core never gave out. It was a true light bulb moment.

I never even got a blister! I only had to stop once to dump a rock out of my shoe, done.

Story #7
Expectations

What about results? I went in having no clue how long it would take to finish. I have never done a run with this much vertical! Martin had all kinds of formulas and charts and eventually I figured I would be really happy with 20 hours. In spite of all the picture taking, the resting, the massage, the waiting for each other, Martin and I both finished in 18:33. That made my week! How fast was the winner? 11:39. Yep, he was Swiss. The fastest woman finished in 13:09. She's also Swiss.

The cutoff was 26 hours and believe you me, people were getting cut. Fully one third of the 600 E101 starters didn't finish. As we walked back to the apartment, and as I showered, and as I lay myself down in bed, I could still see headlamps traversing the Eiger under the glacier 10-15 km from the finish. Respect.

I got 11th out of 60 in my age group (Men 50-59) and 120th out of 600 overall. The winner in my age group finished in 14:06(!). Heck, the winner in the Men 60-69 age group finished in 17:51. Nuts.

Other highlights

Euli "the Swiss Machine" Steck was there. He spoke at the pre-race meeting and said he has climbed the Eiger 41 times! Some have been pretty quick... He also ran the 101k for the first time and did pretty darn well.



Cows really do wear cowbells in Switzerland and it was the sweetest music ever. I was always looking forward to hearing them.



Traversing the Eiger under the glacier we were running through a dip in the trail when I spotted a Rega helicopter (they were everywhere!) parked way down the mountain in a grassy field. There was a guy hanging out of the door and when he looked up and saw Martin and I running toward the ridge he jumped back in and took off. In no time at all the helicopter was at our altitude and then is disappeared behind the ridge were about to crest.

In what I imagined looked like a scene from a movie the helicopter sat there behind the ridge just out of sight. I could practically feel the rotors as we got closer and then boom! There it was.

The helicopter was perhaps 20' above the ridge line and the camera operator was hanging out of the open side door with a giant bazooka of a lens aimed straight at us. We had to run under the prop wash, I grabbed my visor just in time but Martin lost his hat. Once we were directly under the helicopter it pulled up and away in spectacular fashion.



This was supposed to be a 101 km race. But every time I glanced at my watch it read long. At the half way point I was already at least 10 km over. By the finish it said I had run almost 120k! As we were running and at the finish I kept asking other people what their watch said and the average I got for the total distance was about 120 km. Good thing I didn't have my heart set on a specific time.

Thanks to all my partners that made this possible! I will treasure the memories.

• Brooks Running
• Hammer Nutrition
• The Balanced Athlete
• Sealskinz
• Ultimate Direction
• FootWorks Physical Therapy
• Seattle Running Club

Here are all my pictures and video. They tell the story way better.

Results

Technorati Tags: Grindelwald,Switzerland,Eiger Ultra Trail,Hammer Nutrition,Brooks Running,Seattle Running Club,The Balanced Athlete

charge your Garmin fenix 3 while recording an activity

If you are an ultra athlete that runs or rides for 24+ hours at a time, or if you just want to record a long activity without resorting to a less accurate recording mode you can rejoice!

I've been a Garmin user for years but some of my friends use Suunto watches and one feature I was always jealous of is their ability to charge the watch while recording an activity. This allows them to use the most accurate recording mode and still log long workouts or races as a single activity.

I even called Garmin Tech Support two days ago and their official line is that you can't charge the fenix 3 while recording an activity. Turns out they are wrong.

By default the fenix 3 is set to "Mass Storage" mode. This means that when you connect your watch to a computer via the USB charging cradle it will be treated like any other USB storage device and you can browse the contents of your watch from your computer. And of course your watch will also get charged while it is connected.

If you change this setting to "Garmin" mode you will get prompted to enable Mass Storage mode every time your watch is connected to the charging cradle. All you need to do is say "No" and your watch will get charged while it keeps on recording your activity.

To change this setting go here:

Settings > System > USB Mode

So why not always leave your watch in Garmin mode? Garmin Express can't see or sync your watch when it's in Garmin mode. The advantage to selecting Mass Storage is you don't need to press two buttons to enable Mass Storage every time you connect your watch to your computer.

Of course you can still sync activities by using the Garmin Connect Mobile app on your phone and pairing your phone with your watch and you can install some updates via Wi-Fi but if you want to update apps that you have installed on your fenix 3, you need Garmin Express.

Technorati Tags: Garmin,fenix 3,charge while recording,Garmin Mode,Mass Storage Mode

healing/running update

Extra, extra, read all about it!

For anyone that knows me, most of 2015 (starting in March) and the first part of 2016 (until just recently) were not so conducive to running. I was dancing around a hip injury, running as much as I could but also having several surgeries (not related to the injury that was preventing me from running interestingly), each of which meant some down time and then a recovery.

As is normal (that's what I tell myself anyway), I got a bit bummed and moody and wrote about my very selfish woes.

I also tried to summarize everything some time later when I was feeling a bit more optimistic.

Well things are still looking up.

To recap, after all my trials and tribulations I eventually took six weeks totally off from running. Then, with no hip pain I saw a hip specialist to see how to proceed. Incredibly he told me to go run.

Ever since my hip doctor told me to re-introduce running I was skeptical. It had hurt so much for a solid 14 months and just because it had stopped hurting after six weeks of no running didn't mean I had any confidence that I was "healed".

If you recall, my Physical Therapist had me re-introduce running SLOWLY...  to the tune of one mile/day the first week, two miles/day the second week, you get the idea.

Well I started running on the treadmill 7 April. And I started running outdoors 4 May. And I did my first trail run 30 May. So far so good. I have felt a twinge in my hip on occasion but nothing has lasted and I feel fine that same evening and the day after, there has been no actual pain since I started running again. I have also been cycling lots and two weeks ago I was finally able to resume my core workouts which I had to postpone because of abdominal surgery.

Last Sunday I had my first trail run where I felt "good" and was able to carry on a conversation throughout. Plus, double digit distance! It has not just been about recovering from injury after all, I have had to regain fitness too! :)

Have I mentioned that I love running on trails? Oh man, does it feel good to get back out in the woods.

Thanks to all of my supporters for sticking by me. Here's to more getting outside.

• Shelley
• Hammer Nutrition
• Brooks
• The Balanced Athlete
• Seattle Running Club-Brooks Competitive Team